Raven's Tale
by Sky Magic
Summary: When Rhiadrieal ran away, and did not appear again, we wonder what happened to her. So, here is Raven's Tale, telling what did happen. Companion to Rhiadrieal and Rhiadrieal's War.
1. Prologue

A/N: I got REALLY bored, so I decided for all of you that wonder what happened in the one hundred years that Rhiadrieal disappeared for, here you go. And for those of you who don't know, you may want to read my first story (the beginning of the series) Rhiadrieal and then maybe even Rhiadrieal's War. So, this is set (it begins) right after Rhiadrieal runs away. I'm going to write this from Rhiadrieal's point of view (most of the time. You'll be able to tell when it isn't), so enjoy!  
  
~*Sky Magic*~  
  
Prologue  
  
I pulled my sword out of Pereth's dead body, horrified by what I had done. He attacked you, a voice said in my head. Your actions are justified. I let my sword clatter to the forest floor, and my mind reeled. I didn't even know if I really wanted to kill him. But, he had wreaked Eva's life, I could tell, and killed Sdhorim, the wolf I had spent so much time protecting, and that made me hate him, more than I did before.  
  
I knew Legolas had seen me. What could I tell him? Nothing. There was nothing I could tell him, nothing that would make it better.  
  
"Rhiadrieal, I-" he began to say, when I reached him. I stood on the tips of my toes and kissed him gently, a goodbye kiss, I knew I had to run.  
  
I fumbled with the raven necklace around my neck, I had nothing else to give him, besides my love. I pressed it into his hand, closing his fingers around it.  
  
"I love you," I whispered in his ear and ran off into the woods. 


	2. Brie

Chapter One  
  
I sat in the saddle, thinking as I rode Star out of Rivendell. I had snuck in, in the dark of the night, and taken all my most precious belongings. I could not help looking back at the place that had been my home for so many years. I had left a note to Eva, and no one else. There was nothing I could say to them. I requested that Eva would burn it, after reading it.  
  
I shook my head and looked away, there was no way for me to stay. I urged Star into a canter; I wanted to be far away when the morning came, my destination was Brie. I wanted to go new places, anywhere but Mirkwood or Rivendell.  
  
***  
  
Brie was not what I expected, it was more, primitive. It did not have the grace of Rivendell or the mysterious beauty of Mirkwood. I walked into the inn; it was called the Prancing Pony. It was filled with men, no elves, no dwarves and almost no woman. I walked to the counter, where an inn keep worked.  
  
"I would like a room, for a night or more," I said, almost yelling over the noise.  
  
"Aye, we have some," he replied. "But what is a lass, well brought up by the looks, doing in a place like this. We hardly see elves," he added, nodding towards my ears. I blushed slightly and put a hand up to cover one.  
  
"Mharia!" he yelled. "Come show-" he stopped and looked at me. "What's your name?"  
  
I breathed in sharply, it was an unexpected question, I hadn't thought of that yet. "Raven," I answered automatically, that is what I would be for the next one hundred years of my life.  
  
"Come show Lady Raven to her room," he finished.  
  
"Please, sir," I said. "I am no lady."  
  
"Aye, and I am not a 'sir'" he replied.  
  
Mharia came and politely asked that I follow her. She was, it looked like, twenty years old. She had brown hair and eyes. I followed her to the stairs, dodging people and staring eyes. "We don't see many elves here," Mharia said, speaking for the first time.  
  
"I'm only here for a week or so, I plan to go on to visit the Shire. I've heard it's beautiful," I commented.  
  
"Is there any news of the outside world?" she asked politely.  
  
"I can't tell you much," I replied, trying to keep my answers simple. I didn't know if someone, Legolas in particular, was following me. "You would learn more from someone besides me."  
  
"Do you know anything of archery?" she asked.  
  
I winced. I wasn't as good as elves were supposed to be, a touchy subject. "Some. I wasn't as good as expected. Legolas was trying to teach me to be better," I replied, not noticing how the words slipped off my tongue. It was so easy to talk about it, maybe it helped.  
  
"Who's this Legolas?" Mharia asked.  
  
"He's a-" I paused. "A friend," I finished, trying to keep a look of longing out of my eyes, but I knew it was there.  
  
Mharia stopped and giggled, looking at me. "You speak of him like he's a lover. Here are your rooms," she said and pointed.  
  
I walked in and sighed, there wasn't a lot to say about that, he was my lover. 


	3. Firebird

A/N: Okay people, I NEED to know if you like this and want me to keep going, so please, please, please review. It'll make my day.  
  
~*Sky Magic*~  
  
Disclaimer: (I ALWAYS forget these) I don't own a thing. Not except Star, Rhiadrieal, Mharia and, well, yeah. That's all, wish I did own Legolas though.  
  
Chapter Two  
  
I awoke, to the sound of birds chirping, I didn't want to wake up and find myself in Brie. I wish I had never left, I wish I had never killed Pereth. I wish a lot of things, but more than half of them aren't coming true anytime soon. I wish I were dead, I thought.  
  
"You could easily do something about that," I muttered, getting dressed. Not that I would, I told myself smugly.  
  
I walked downstairs, ate and then went out to visit Star. "Hey, sweetie," I crooned, I almost always talked to my horses in baby talk, it was an annoying habit.  
  
-Hello Rhiadrieal- she replied, liping my hand and taking the sugar cube I offered.  
  
"How do you like it here?" I asked, I was thinking about staying longer than I planned.  
  
-It is all very nice, but it isn't home- Star told me.  
  
"I don't think we're going home, ever," I told her blandly. A noise was heard outside and I ran out, I was curious.  
  
A stallion, reared up, bucking and trying to kick the man on his back off. He screamed challenges and finally succeeded in throwing his rider. "Ruined I tell ye!" the man, now sitting on the dirt screamed. "Ruined! That be a dangerous animal ye have! It'd be best ta but him down now!" The inn keep stood nearby, watching, looking quite distressed.  
  
I have to say; I am not one to stand by while a horse rampages, possibly hurting itself. I rushed forward to the stallion. I caught the bridal in one hand and reached up with the other to grab it, pulling him down. "What is it hoofed one?" I whispered in his ear, keeping one hand on the bridal and stroking his nose with the other.  
  
He gave no answer but snorted and stomped. I crooned to him, using soothing words, until he was docile enough to allow me to inspect him. When I checked his flanks, I saw whip marks that had not fully healed, some were reopened by the stallions efforts of shaking the rider off. He was not well brushed, dirt was stuck in his fur and his tail was in dread locks.  
  
"Is he your horse?" I asked the inn keep.  
  
"Not really, he is no one's horse. Is owner left him here," he replied.  
  
"Like this?" I demanded.  
  
"No. He had the whip marks, but no one could get near enough to him to help. He wouldn't let them. No one could get close enough to groom him; it was a task enough to feed him. I would have had the animal killed, but he was such a fine horse, I couldn't help but train him," he replied.  
  
"I'd like to get my hands on whoever left him like this," I muttered. "I will train him for you, for a price though," I declared after much thought.  
  
"Are you sure you would?" he asked. "Name your price."  
  
I considered for a moment, I had never charged for training a horse, but now I would need the money. I told him my price, it was considerably low, and then added, "and free room and board for the time it takes."  
  
He nodded his head and then turned to leave. "Oh, wait!" I called. "Does he have a name?"  
  
The inn keep shook his head and then replied, "no Lady Raven. Name him if you like."  
  
I nodded and then turned to the horse. "We are going to groom you," I told him.  
  
It was quite an ordeal to do a simple task like grooming. He was afraid of everything, the brushes, the water, everything. When I had finished, and ruined my clothing, I decided that it was all worth it. The stallion, with the brushing and washing, turned from a muddy brown to a beautiful fiery chestnut.  
  
I ran back up to my room, with the promise that I would be back and that I wouldn't leave him cross tied, to get my healing supplies.  
  
I applied ointment and slave to his wounds, telling him what a good boy he was. He did not try and savage me, thankfully. I untied him and started to lead him back to his stall. I had one of the stable hands clean it out to begin with, and put in fresh food and water, and put him in, closing the door.  
  
I looked at him for a moment; such a fine stallion deserved a name. "Firebird," I said. "Your name is Firebird." I kissed him on the nose, with the promise I would be back tomorrow, and went to visit, Star.  
  
I believe I had made in accomplishment that day. 


	4. Glorfindel

A/N: I really don't think that I need to do this, but I may as well. When I get a total of five reviews, you get another chapter.  
  
~*Sky Magic*~  
  
Chapter Three  
  
I crept down the stairs, it was earlier then many would care to get up. I walked to the stables, I felt like training, and nothing was going to stop me.  
  
"Hello, boy," I crooned to Firebird and held out my hand to him, a nice treat in my palm. Firebird stood in the back oh his stall, staring at me warily. I guess the treat won him over because he walked forward and allowed me to clip the lead rope to his halter.  
  
I groomed him and checked his wounds, they were healing nicely. I cleaned out his stall and fed him. I didn't intend on riding him until his wounds were healed. I put him back in the stall and sat with him, talking for a while to him. I wanted him to know my voice and to trust me.  
  
I heard the clip clop of hooves hitting the ground and climbed out of the saddle. I climbed out of Firebird's stall and fell on the ground. I picked myself and dusted myself off. The fall really didn't hurt, it was intentional.  
  
I raced outside and saw an elf, climbing off his horse. Glorfindel! I screamed to myself. The captain of my father's guards was in Brie. What he was doing was not totally beyond me, I had some idea. He was looking for me.  
  
When he had his back turned, I rushed past, into the inn, nearly knocking Mharia and Deoin, the innkeeper, I rushed past them and ran into my rooms, and shut the door behind me. I changed into cleaner clothing and sat on my bed.  
  
I heard a soft knocking on my door. "Come in!" I called, not bothering to look over my shoulder. "It's unlocked." I immediately regretted my words when the door opened and closed, followed by the soft sound of elf footsteps.  
  
Glorfindel sat on the bed next to me. "Rhiadrieal?" he asked.  
  
"What?" I sighed, letting my hands fall into my lap.  
  
"Are you ready to come home? You've made your point."  
  
"What point?" I asked, I wasn't trying to make a point.  
  
"That you are self sufficient," he said simply.  
  
"That wasn't what I meant," I replied, my voice sharp. "I'm not trying to make a point!"  
  
"Then what are you trying to do?"  
  
"I don't know!" my voice was slowly rising to a yell.  
  
"Then why did you run?"  
  
I stood up and whirled around, looking into his face for the first time. "I killed my own kind! I didn't even want to kill him. I did at the time, but that was then and this…" I paused. "This is now."  
  
"And why did that make you need to run?"  
  
"Glorfindel," I said, my voice quiet. "I scared myself, Rivendell scared me. It scared me to be around elves, I was frightened of what I might do."  
  
He stood and walked closer to me. "I have orders to take you back to Rivendell."  
  
"I'm not going," I hissed. Then, before I knew it, he was holding both of my wrists in his hands.  
  
"With or without force," Glorfindel told me calmly. "Don't make me bind you."  
  
"Let go of my hands!" I shrieked.  
  
"Not unlerr you come with me, Rhiadrieal," he replied calmly, I swear this elf could stay calm throughout anything.  
  
"My name is not Rhiadrieal!" I yelled and wrenched my hands out of his grasp. "It's Raven."  
  
He sighed and looked distraught, "Then if you have renounced your name, I will have to go back to Rivendell and inform Lord Elrond that I could find no daughter of his."  
  
With that said, he walked out of my rooms. I watched his retreating back and felt ready to cry.  
  
I unpacked my belongings and everything I had decided to take with me, I was going to be there for a while. I heard a soft knock on the door and walked to open it. "Mharia?" I asked. The girl, I should say woman, looked at me thoughtfully.  
  
"May I come in?" she asked.  
  
"I don't see why not," I replied and resumed unpacking as Mharia sat on the bed, watching me.  
  
"How old are you?" she asked.  
  
"One thousand, seven hundred and fifteen years old," I replied promptly. "One thousand, seven hundred and sixteen years old in a week," I added after a moment and Mharia burst out laughing.  
  
"You look to be about seventeen or eighteen," Mharia said after she stopped laughing.  
  
"Most elves look young," I muttered. "How old are you?"  
  
"Eighteen," Mharia sighed. "Father's been trying to get me to marry."  
  
"Do you want to get married to anyone?" I inquired.  
  
"No, I haven't met someone I love yet," Mharia told me. "I won't get married to someone I don't love."  
  
"I can't blame you," I said, sitting down next to her. "My father engaged me, without my consent, I was so mad. Unfortunately, my heart betrayed me," I added and grimaced.  
  
"What makes you say that?"  
  
"I fell in love with my fiancé."  
  
"That isn't that bad is it?"  
  
"For me it was, I was almost famous for hating practically everyone."  
  
"Oh."  
  
"So, why did you come up here?" I asked.  
  
"I heard shouts," she answered simply.  
  
"Oh."  
  
"What was it about?" she asked softly. "You don't need to tell me if you don't want to."  
  
"I don't think I want to talk about it," I said, looking at my hands.  
  
"Is Raven your real name?" Mharia asked suddenly after a long silence. "It seems odd for an elf name."  
  
"No," I said simply. "I'm going to go train Firebird." I ran out the door, the conversation had gotten too uncomfortable. I ran down into the stables after grabbing a treat. I walked to Firebirds stall and whistled, then held out the treat. He came bounding for the treat and let me in. I sat in his stall, my back to the door and my legs curled underneath myself and talked to him. I did the talking, he listened. I stood up and kissed his nose and stroked his neck, he was a good horse and would some day, I hoped, be a famous horse.  
  
A/N: I am the great one? Wow! I feel loved!  
  
~*Sky Magic*~ 


End file.
